


The Sweetness of You

by crescentstrife



Series: Sefikura Week 2021 [7]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: All in the same fic somehow, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Crack, F/M, Family Issues, Family Reunions, Fluff, Happy Ending, Having Sex While Your Parents Are Upstairs Is A Great Way to Escape Family Drama, Husbands, M/M, Poor Vincent, Prompt: Reunion, References to Depression, Sefikura Week, Sefikura Week 2021, Trauma, Wall Sex, background Vincent/Lucrecia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:21:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescentstrife/pseuds/crescentstrife
Summary: Sefikura Week 2021 Day 7 - ReunionSephiroth and Cloud try to host a family reunion dinner with their parents. Depending on who you ask, it does and does not go well.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: Sefikura Week 2021 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2122833
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71
Collections: Sefikura (Sephiroth/Cloud) Week - Yearly Event





	The Sweetness of You

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as angst, then turned into smut and crack and I am very sorry for it!
> 
> Takes place in some alternate world were Sephiroth did not go insane and helps the normal gang stop Meteor. Other weird liberties with canon include Cloud's mother living, Vincent being Sephiroth's biological father, and Lucrecia leaving her crystal. 
> 
> Also, I apologize for anyone who loves Lu as a character: she does get a little called out for her actions in canon here. 
> 
> I know, insane, but hopefully you enjoy anyway!

It had been a monumentally bad idea from the start, and yet, Cloud hadn’t had the heart to say no.

He knew that Sephiroth had had family on the brain ever since their wedding several months ago. But when the man suggested hosting a reunion dinner in their own home, Cloud was beyond surprised. Family was not an easy topic for Sephiroth _._ Though Cloud had his own issues with his lack of a father figure, he knew that was nothing compared to the complicated web of Sephiroth’s parentage.

And complicated was certainly an understatement. But how else would you describe the devastation of discovering that the man who you assumed was your father (and who abused you under the dubious guise of scientific discovery) was not actually your father? Or the betrayal of learning that the creepy alien creature that kept whispering to you, promising to love you as if it were your mother, had been lying to you for her own destructive purposes? Or the guilt of the revelation that your real biological father was an ex-Turk who had tried desperately to save you from your fate, only to be shot and stuffed with demons for his trouble?

But those truths were not the ones that threatened to destroy Sephiroth, partly because in the days they were unearthed, there were far more pressing matters to attend to, compelling reasons to keep marching forward (such as running away from Shinra, trying to stop Jenova, searching for a way to keep that Meteor from annihilating everything on the Planet). It was only after the crises had been averted, when the quiet finally began to settle, that the last piece of the dark puzzle slid into place: the truth of Sephiroth’s biological mother and the choices she made that set the entire cycle into motion. Watching the man wrestle with the consequences of such choices, fight against the destiny that Lucrecia had condemned him to, endure the pain of abandonment she inflicted – the whole thing hurt Cloud far more than any physical injury he sustained during their whole save-the-world ordeal. It was as if he could see Sephiroth’s heart breaking into pieces under the weight he had been forced to carry, and it made Cloud all the more determined to take that very heart and protect it, with all the strength he possessed.

Things had been fine for a time after Meteorfall, Cloud and Sephiroth burying themselves in each other and in the work of building a better and happier Midgar. With each moment they shared together, Cloud could see the trust in their joy developing slowly, truly, behind Sephiroth’s eyes. But the peace cracked wide open when Vincent appeared one day, with Lucrecia alive and in tow. The sight of the woman and the heated conversation the three of them had shared sent Sephiroth spiraling – for weeks, he avoided everyone, hardly ate, rarely spoke, wasting away in the dark-curtained bedroom of their house. The capacity to hope that had been repairing itself within Sephiroth crumbled, almost as if it had never been there. And somehow, despite the years full of multiple-near death encounters, that had been when Cloud feared losing Sephiroth the most.

In those days, Cloud refused to leave Sephiroth’s side. By sheer force of will, he was determined to prove to the man that he was loved, that he was cared for, that he was cherished. Cloud wanted to show by example that Sephiroth did not have to fear being left alone, not ever, and not again. He had to, because there was no one else in the world that made Cloud feel so full, so complete, so wanted, and so desired. He had to, because if the positions were reversed, he knew Sephiroth would unfailingly do the same.

Then, like a miracle, Sephiroth finally started to reemerge. It took time and an obscene amount of therapy, but the man began to believe in goodness again. Every smile Sephiroth gave, every laugh he shared, even the terrible corny jokes the man would sometimes fumble in telling, all of it was more than precious to Cloud. He wanted to spend the rest of his life helping to nurture and protect and grow and encourage that gentle and sweet happiness. And Sephiroth apparently felt the exact same way, because it was not long afterwards that he got down on one knee and vowed to support and love Cloud in the same devoted way the man had done for him.

It was finally their happy ending, hard-earned and hard-fought, and Cloud hesitated over anything that could potentially wreck the bliss. Which was why he was nervous about this family reunion idea to begin with. Though both their parents – his mother and Vincent and Lucrecia – were present at the wedding, the affair was dominated by their friends, and Cloud and Sephiroth had been far too enraptured over the prospect of promising themselves to each other to pay much mind to any potential parental dramas. Besides, Claudia Strife and Sephiroth got along swimmingly, almost too well for Cloud’s taste: the amount of inside jokes they shared at his expense never failed to make him turn red in the face.

(Even so, that was always a source of joy for Cloud. He had made it a point to introduce them early, after it had become clear that his relationship with Sephiroth was more than just serious, the hope of _forever_ settling between them like butterflies on flower petals. Though he had been afraid for a moment that his mother would not approve, that feeling vanished almost immediately. Sephiroth and Claudia hit it off. They talked about cooking and history and Nibelheim mythology, and of course, they talked about Cloud.

 _I did tell him to find someone older, to take care of him,_ she had said, shooting a teasing wink in Cloud’s direction.

Sephiroth had replied in that guileless and corny manner he only showed to Cloud, _Well, ma’am, that is what I fully intend to do.)_

No, Cloud was most definitely not worried about his mother. The tension was always on Sephiroth’s side, for the man had no blueprint on know how to react to Vincent and Lucrecia, having gone from orphan, to abusive father, to no parents, to two parents, so jarringly and so suddenly. But since the proposal, since Sephiroth had steadfastly promised Cloud to _live,_ the man had become determined to rise above his own trauma. It was no longer just a question of being happy for himself but being happy for Cloud and their shared life. And Cloud could see how badly the man wanted to heal, wanted to put the grief and the guilt behind him. So, in spite of the apprehension, Vincent, Lucrecia and Sephiroth decided to try and build some semblance of a relationship. They had started with some uncomfortable lunches, some tangled conversations during Avalanche group functions. But often, something would get in the way, their words and their meanings and any tenuously constructed closeness inevitably crashing against hidden stumbling blocks, pushing them backward to where they had begun.

The starting and stopping, the building and the breaking, the rise of the hope and the fall of the disappointment – it was painful. And after everything, Cloud did not like seeing Sephiroth in pain. The last thing Cloud wanted was something like this evening to bring back old ghosts, to reopen old scars.

And yet, Sephiroth somehow seemed optimistic, even a little excited. He had come home early from work that evening to begin his wizardry in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and simmering sauces and spices with the same careful attention to detail that he gave his paperwork and his sword-training. Cloud was no help with the cooking – if Sephiroth wasn’t there to make dinner, he would usually order takeout – but he had stayed seated at the island to watch his husband and lend support all the same. He had to admit it was an encouraging sign, seeing Sephiroth so determined to make this a good night. The sight of that brow furrowed in perfect concentration as the silver-haired man checked on his pot roast in the oven made Cloud’s heart melt with affection and warmth. It made him want to hope, too. Maybe, just maybe, things would be alright after all. 

(But Cloud really should have known better.)

To be fair, the evening had started off well enough. Claudia arrived first. She had helped them set the table and arrange Sephiroth’s meticulous dishes in perfect symmetry, all while chatting about some ridiculous true-crime documentary that both she and Sephiroth were fans of (and that Cloud had fallen asleep through before even finishing the first episode). Moreover, in her ever-loving charity and her ever-clever perception, Claudia had brought with her a dessert cake and three bottles of homemade Nibelheim mulled wine. 

“Alcohol will help,” Claudia had said with a teasing grin.

Vincent and Lucrecia rang their doorbell shortly thereafter. Ostensibly, they too had the same idea, bringing with them two bottles of whiskey that were significantly more expensive fare than Cloud’s normal orders of cheap beer and vodka (Sephiroth himself did not drink, a habit from his straight-laced military discipline). With their arrival, the night began in earnest. Besides some slightly awkward small talk at the start, dinner flowed without too much of a stumble. In more ways than one, Cloud’s mother was a godsend, turning her friendly and kind nature up to eleven to help smooth over the any strange tensions that might have reared their ugly heads.

She was also right about the alcohol helping to facilitate the conversation, though perhaps a bit _too_ much. Because by the time they had cut through most of dinner, nearly all of Sephiroth’s exquisite pot roast devoured, the bottles of wine and half of the whiskey were drained, and nearly all parties at the table (excluding Sephiroth) were edging past north of tipsy.

“You should have seen him,” Claudia cheered, her eyes nearly watering from laughter. “Covered in chicken poo from head to toe. We had to give him three baths that night to get rid of the stench!”

Cloud ducked his head, feeling the embarrassment creep all over his face and neck. Gaia, he could never understand why his mother loved the story of his falling through the roof of their chicken coop when he was six and reckless so much. Beside him, Sephiroth only smirked in amusement, but he at least squeezed Cloud’s hand reassuringly.

“That’s amazing,” Lucrecia responded, smiling. She had a bit of a flush on her face, from both the alcohol and the laughter. “You have so many wonderful stories.”

“Well, it was just me and Cloud for the longest time. Raising him truly was the greatest gift I ever had.”

“Ma,” Cloud said, mortified. He was fairly sure if his face could burn right off from blushing, it would.

Lucrecia only laughed again. She took a gulp of her wine, and smiling behind the glass, declared, “Well, I hope the stories Vincent and I make will be even a fraction as wonderful as yours.”

It took a moment for what she said to settle, but when it did, it was like a sudden cold frost in the middle of summer: unexpected and harsh. The contrast against the prior friendliness of the evening was even starker for it. Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed, and Cloud could feel the hand that held his tighten.

“What did you say?” the silver-haired man asked, tone far from gentle.

Lucrecia lifted a hand to her mouth, evidently realizing that her loose lips had betrayed her. Her eyes flashed to Vincent, whose expression was just almost too neutral. The dark-haired man responded diplomatically, “She didn’t mean anything, Sephiroth.”

“No, she did. Now tell me.”

“Seph,” Cloud whispered, warned. He was about to say more, but the grip on his hand sharpened further, almost to a punishing degree.

Lucrecia stammered. Under Sephiroth’s demanding gaze, she was unable to free any words from her throat. The silence that fell in the room seemed to make noise in of itself, reverberating through the walls of the dining room they sat in, through the hardwood floor, through them. The mounting pressure, the dark shadows creeping in, the simmering anger and hurt, it was almost too much.

But then, Vincent broke the spell.

“We’re adopting,” he said, crimson eyes purposefully inscrutable. “A young child. A boy from the Leaf House.”

The tension snapped. Almost as if he lost the energy, the will, Sephiroth let Cloud’s hand slip from his fingers. Though Cloud could only see his profile, he knew what expression would have painted his husband’s face the moment the implications of that truth finally clicked in place.

“You are starting a family,” Sephiroth said in a clipped voice.

“We wanted to tell you,” Lucrecia rambled, her desperation and her guilt clear. “We were just waiting for the right time.”

Sephiroth opened his mouth to say something – maybe to yell, to scream, to berate. But suddenly the words died in him, like a fire blown out by a swift breath of wind. The man stood up, tossing the napkin that had sat on his lap on the table. He did not look at Vincent nor Lucrecia, barely spared a glance at Cloud. Instead, he just murmured to absolutely no one in particular, “Excuse me. I do not feel well,” before walking down the hall toward the stairs that led to the basement, leaving the rest of the room in a stunned and uneasy silence.

“I’m so sorry,” whispered Lucrecia. “I’m so sorry.”

Cloud could feel it in him now, his resentment fueled by his protective instincts. He remembered feeling that exact same way when he first properly met Lucrecia, freed from her crystal. He could not fathom it – how a mother would willingly subject her child to such a terrible fate, even if it were unknowingly, even if it were something he knew she regretted shortly afterward. But then again, he knew where his lack of understanding came from, because he was indeed lucky to have the mother that he did. It was part of the reason he loved seeing Sephiroth and Claudia get along so well, why he had been so excited to give the man a family that would love him in the way that he had deserved to be loved.

Cloud wanted to lash out, but he knew better than to do so. There was someone much more in need of his attention now.

He turned to Claudia, said, “I have to go check on him.”

His mother gave a soft smile. “Go, Cloud.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Cloud got up and left the table, followed the hallway and the staircase down to the basement. He could hear Sephiroth before he saw the man, hear his breaths coming slowly and unsteadily, as if he were trying to hold down the beginnings of a panic attack. When Cloud rounded the corner and descended the final step, he spotted Sephiroth leaning against the left wall of their basement. Both of Sephiroth’s arms were braced against the cool stone, and his forehead was pressed against his forearms, blocking out the world from his sight. But the most heartbreaking detail of all were the tears, slowly slipping down his face.

Cloud was next to him in an instant. He tugged Sephiroth to him, let the man wrap his arms around his body, bury his face into his shoulder, into his neck.

“I don’t know why I am upset. This is ridiculous,” Sephiroth began.

“No, it’s not.”

“They have every right to start a family. They have every right to have a child of their own, to capture the opportunity they missed.” _Without me_ was left unsaid, but it was there, hanging between them like a curse that just refused to be lifted.

Cloud held him tighter, almost wishing that he could melt into Sephiroth, curl into him, and push out the pain and the sadness and the terrible memories. “You can still be upset. You have every right to be, too.”

He could feel Sephiroth shake his head. “I am a monster.”

Cloud pulled back, shocked and worried and confused. “How could you say that?”

"I should want this for them. They both have suffered greatly and should be allowed to find happiness. The orphan they adopt should be given a loving home. But yet, I feel terrible about the whole thing. That is spiteful and selfish and cruel and _monstrous_.”

The final word singed the edges of Cloud’s desperation, of his heart. He reached up, took Sephiroth’s face into his hands, stared into those green eyes, and almost like a prayer, whispered, “It’s also human, Seph.”

The man almost sobbed in response.

Cloud kept going, his fingers stroking Sephiroth’s cheek, that strong jaw, that elegant neck. “You’re hurt because it is unfair. That child will have the life you were supposed to, and even if it is a good thing, it will always be a little unfair. That sounds like a human thing to be upset about.”

Sephiroth closed his eyes and leaned into Cloud’s touch. “I don’t want to feel this way. I am so tired of feeling this way around them.” he murmured.

“Then let me take care of it. I’ll tell them to go. Just stay here.”

Insistent hands tugged Cloud even closer. “No, don’t leave. I need you.”

Green eyes bore into his blue, wanting and longing, but waiting for permission all the same. It hardly mattered, since Cloud had lost the ability to resist them a long time ago. So, he leaned forward and kissed Sephiroth, let Sephiroth kiss him back, let that tongue slide into his mouth. He felt them move and turn, felt his back press against the stone wall, felt strong hands hold his waist to keep their bodies close. They kissed again and again, as if each meeting of their lips could somehow help drive away the lingering sorrow. It did not take long for Cloud to start feeling dizzy in the growing heat between them, so much so that he hardly noticed the deft fingers that began creeping their way to the waistband of his pants.

“Seph,” Cloud breathed, as the man dipped his head to nip at his neck and shoulders. “We can’t – they’re right upstairs.”

“I don’t care,” Sephiroth replied. Without another word, the silver-haired man dropped to his knees, fingers popping the button of Cloud’s jeans. Before he could protest further, Sephiroth pulled the fabric right down his hips and legs smoothly, and Cloud could not help the strained moan that escaped his lips the moment his growing erection made contact with the cool air.

“Seph,” he tried again, albeit much weaker this time.

Sephiroth pressed one kiss, loving and sweet, on the skin of Cloud’s upper thigh. “I need you, Cloud. More than anything. But tell me to stop and I will,” he said, staring up at the blond through hazed and desperate eyes.

Cloud could have taken the moment to weigh his options – should have thought about the fact that his mother and his in-laws were right upstairs, should have considered how crazy inappropriate the whole idea was given the heavy drama and tension of the night. But he knew he would not have been able to think straight even if he tried. Because there was always something about when Sephiroth made his desire for him, made his love and need for him, so plain and so clear, something about the fact that only he could make the man who could impale a Midgar Zolom on a tree without breaking a sweat fall willingly to his knees. In a way, Cloud realized there was no other choice at all.

“Don’t stop.”

He hardly had the words out of his mouth before the heat of Sephiroth’s mouth turned his whole world into stars. Sephiroth kept his hands around Cloud’s hips, holding the smaller man still as he dictated the pace of the movement. All the while, Cloud fought back the noises that threatened to spill from his mouth. His hands involuntarily reached forward to tangle their fingers into silver locks, tugging gently. In response, Sephiroth moaned around him, the muffled sound and its resulting vibration making Cloud shudder all the more.

The blond could feel the pressure in his body intensifying, pulling him taut like a stretched string. It was almost embarrassingly too quick. And despite the fact that they had guests waiting upstairs, Cloud was not ready for this to end.

He pulled Sephiroth’s head back off his cock almost too forcefully, though the man did not seem bothered by the harshness in the slightest, knowing full well exactly what it was that Cloud wanted. Sephiroth’s eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, and he stood up quickly to kiss him with an equal force. They made quick work of the rest of their clothes, tossing them far enough away to avoid any suspicious stains. Then, Sephiroth reached in between them to grasp at Cloud once more, and Cloud could not help the cry of pleasure that came out of him at the touch.

“Seph,” Cloud whined, covering his mouth with his hands to stifle another scream.

But Sephiroth would have none of that. He pushed Cloud back against the wall and pressed the fingers of his left hand through Cloud’s lips, while his right hand remained studiously attentive to its task of driving the blond mad. In between moans, Cloud licked and sucked dutifully, wetting the fingers of Sephiroth’s hand with his tongue. It was a good distraction for him, keeping his focus on his own mouth and watching the way that Sephiroth’s lust consumed the man’s expression – and Cloud needed the distraction to stop himself from blowing all over Sephiroth’s hand too early. Not when he wanted something else far more instead.

Finally, the friction bordered on painfully too much. Cloud pulled Sephiroth’s fingers out of his mouth, guiding the hand behind him to the cleft of his ass. The silver-haired man did not need any further instruction. Two fingers breached his entrance quickly, the sudden intrusion eliciting another loud gasp from Cloud. But he was too far gone to care right now, too busy grinding himself backward against those fingers, too concerned with urging Sephiroth to hurry before his need for the man consumed him completely. 

“Please, please,” Cloud murmured into that shoulder, wrapping his arms around Sephiroth.

The man kissed his neck, nipping bites only adding to the fervor. “Patience, Cloud. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m not a tiny cadet anymore. I can take it.”

Sephiroth only chuckled in response. Those two fingers turned into three, scissoring and stretching, and rubbing ever-so-lightly against that spot inside Cloud that made him nearly lose his mind and his balance. But as he always was, as he always would be, Sephiroth was there to catch him, hoisting the blond upward against the wall and letting those legs wrap around his slender hips. At the movement, Cloud’s breath hitched, both at the suddenness and in anticipation of what was to come.

They met eyes for a moment, gentle and sweet, a strange contrast to the rabid desperation that had consumed them in the preceding minutes. It was a reminder of who they were and why they were there, a re-grounding of their senses of self and of each other. They did not need to say anything to know what they wanted to express. But Sephiroth did so anyway.

"I love you,” he said.

“I love you,” Cloud said back.

Sephiroth pushed into him then, the stretch just a bit too much. Cloud cried out, clawing at the man’s upper back and shoulders, burying his head into Sephiroth’s neck in search of comfort, warmth, relief. He could feel Sephiroth holding him tightly and moving slowly, strong hips grinding against the back of his thighs, just waiting for Cloud to give the sign that he was ready for more. It only took a few moments longer, a few more gentle grazes of Sephiroth’s length against his sweet spot for the pain to glide away into pleasure. When it did, Cloud pulled back and crushed Sephiroth’s lips into a bruising but tender kiss, against which he gave a tiny murmur of _please._

And because Sephiroth had made it his life to give Cloud everything he ever wanted, he moved. It felt like electricity, every connection inside of Cloud sending sparks straight up his spine. The blond moaned and gasped and threw his head back against the wall, involuntarily exposing the column of his neck to Sephiroth, who immediately pounced on the exposed flesh like man dying of thirst. Through the sensations, through each thrust, Cloud tried to focus on his breathing, focus on holding back the wave that seemed to come much too soon, but there was nothing he could do against the onslaught. He bit into Sephiroth’s shoulder once more to smother the scream of his orgasm, spilling out on their bodies that were pressed together so desperately. 

“Sephiroth,” whispered Cloud, trying to hold the man closer, to bring them together as one.

Sephiroth pulled Cloud’s hair back to press their lips together once, twice, the third time moaning into Cloud’s mouth as he spilled his release into the blond. In the aftermath, he did not stop kissing Cloud, as if still hungry for the love, for the affection, for all the wonderful things Cloud represented and more. There they remained for a little while longer, lips brushing languidly and lovingly, Sephiroth still holding Cloud up against the wall with trembling arms. They waited until the high of the orgasm quietly faded away, until their wild hearts calmed their loud beating, until their violent breaths slowed into peaceful sighs.

Gradually, Cloud allowed himself to slip from Sephiroth’s grasp, leaning against the wall for purchase. As he blinked himself out of his stupor, the feeling in his legs began to return, as did the realization of what had just happened.

“Oh, Gaia,” Cloud said, eyes widening. “Do you think they heard?”

“Hmm,” Sephiroth murmured into Cloud’s neck. The noise somehow seemed completely unperturbed, shameless even. In fact, Cloud could feel the man start to press more kisses on his heated skin. “Well, you were quite loud.”

If he could turn even more red following their activities, Cloud would have. He gave Sephiroth a gentle shove. “Stop it,” he said, trying to keep the man at arm’s length, which was difficult to do when all he wanted was to keep him close. But right now, he needed to refocus. “We have to clean up and go back, quickly.”

“Yes, sir,” Sephiroth responded. But despite his assent, he leaned forward anyway to try to steal another kiss. Without thinking, Cloud immediately averted the move with a playful slap of the other man’s cheek.

The suddenness of the motion made Sephiroth actually laugh, the sound soft and tender and sweet. He pressed his forehead against Cloud’s, eyes staring into the deep and beautiful blue.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “For everything.”

Cloud looked away, partly in embarrassment, and partly because he knew if he kept staring, he would get into even more trouble than he was right then. Still, it was all too comforting to see the contrast, like night and day. Sephiroth’s shoulders were calm, his expression less tense and hurt, his body less taut with anxiety and panic and nervousness, like it had been for most of the evening. This was the version of Sephiroth he loved most – the man when he was happy, when he trusted his own happiness, when he felt free to be who he was, clumsy sense of humor and scars and all. It was a sight rare to most of the world, but not to Cloud – and he treasured every moment he saw it, knew there was extraordinarily little he wouldn’t do to see it again and again.

(As he so evidently discovered tonight).

Sephiroth sighed, clearly unwilling or unready to break apart. “You are correct though. We should return, least we rouse more suspicion.”

“If they are suspicious, that would be your fault.”

“If they are, it would be entirely worth it.”

Cloud huffed but reached up to kiss him again anyway. “You are such a corny dork.”

\---

About five minutes later, they finally cleaned themselves up, redressed, and made their way out of the basement and back to the dining room. Upon their entrance, Lucrecia and Claudia turned to greet them – but Vincent’s gaze remained curiously locked on the leftovers on his plate.

“My apologies _,_ ” Sephiroth said by way of greeting.

Like the angel she was, the angel she had been all night really, Claudia smiled, soft and encouraging. “Oh, that’s alright. We were just worried. Are you sure you are feeling alright?”

Sephiroth nodded. In his newly relaxed state, he managed a small grin. “Yes. Your son gave me some medicine.”

Cloud rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to elbow his husband in the gut. He hoped that his flush was not evident on his face, though there was still a small part of him that could not help but be reassured at the return of Sephiroth’s sly smiles and sharp banter. Meanwhile, Vincent made a quiet choking noise from his corner of the table. But neither of the two women paid him any mind; instead, Lucrecia stood up, bowing her head.

“Sephiroth, I am so sorry, I know you probably are tired of hearing that from me, but I am. Truly. If you don’t want us to go through with the adoption—”

The man in question raised a hand, shaking his head. “No, I just needed a moment. I…still need time to process. But it is your decision, your family. I do not want to interfere.”

Lucrecia’s eyes softened. “It is your family, too,” she said, quietly and hopefully. “It always will be. Whatever time you need, whatever space you need.”

The words were almost too much, too heavy, too _everything_ that Sephiroth was not yet ready for _._ Cloud could feel Sephiroth’s hand snaking into his own, searching for that bit of strength, that bit of comfort. He let his fingers intertwine, let his touch echo warm through the skin, let Sephiroth borrow what he needed to get through the next moment, because all they both wanted was for there to be another one. 

Sephiroth let himself breathe, “Thank you.”

Claudia clapped her hands, as if signifying the closing of the chapter. “Well, I suppose the next step is dessert then?”

It was then that suddenly, Vincent spoke up, his deep voice cutting and echoing through the room. “We should go.”

Every head turned to the man now, expressions all a mixture of bewilderment, confusion, and concern. Lucrecia reached for his arm lightly. “Are you sure?” she asked. “We could have some dessert.”

“I believe we shouldn’t overstay our welcome.”

“I don’t mind,” Sephiroth said.

Claudia interjected, “See? All’s well that ends well, especially with something sweet. I brought some delicious chocolate cake, but it’s the white vanilla frosting that makes it worth it.”

Abruptly, Vincent coughed, the sound strange and jarring and surprising. Lucrecia leaned closer to him, her brows knitted in slight worry. “Vincent, are you not feeling well? Perhaps we need to get you some medicine, too.”

That comment somehow broke through the man’s usual stoic nature, and it looked for all the world that Vincent Valentine, of all people, was about to _gag._ But the man was a former Turk for a reason; he gathered himself quickly and stood up from the table. “I am fine,” he stated, voice very much so tight and very much so matter-of-fact. He extended his hand to Claudia for her to shake, a punctuated end of the discussion. “It was nice to see you again. This was… _pleasant._ ”

Claudia looked at him curiously for a moment, her blue eyes sharply assessing. But eventually, she relented. “Alright. Well, it was nice to see you, too,” she said, shaking Vincent’s offered hand.

For her part, Lucrecia appeared a bit baffled, though she still gathered her jacket from the back of her dining room chair and offered a gentle smile to all remaining parties in the room. “Good night everyone,” she said. Her eyes flickered to Sephiroth, but she knew better than to try and reach out for an embrace. Instead, she simply added, “Thank you again for the wonderful dinner.”

“Of course.”

Lucrecia turned and began making her way down the hall toward the front door. Vincent moved to follow her but paused just before exiting the dining room. When he turned to face them, his face was almost as red as the signature cape he had forgone that night in favor of something much more casual and much less threatening.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” he said quickly. “But you two are not the only people with enhanced hearing.”

Cloud’s hands flew to his face immediately. Sephiroth kept his appearance perfectly neutral.

The other man ducked his head. There was no maliciousness in his tone, though there was a tightness from mortification mixed with a slight bit of warm amusement. “I am grateful that you have each other. I hope you have a good night.” Then, with a final nod, Vincent left, his strides smooth, his shoes somehow leaving no sound against the hardwood floor.

Cloud waited until he heard the click of their front door closing, before giving into his earlier urge and elbowing Sephiroth in the stomach. The man hardly flinched, however, only laughed, lightly in return. 

“Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Claudia asked, watching the scene with fascination.

“Nope,” Cloud said. “Not at all. Let’s just get dessert, Ma.”

“Wonderful!” his mother said, starting to make her way toward the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she called, “Sephiroth, would you like some as well?”

Sephiroth smiled, easily and wonderfully and freely. It was one of his rare ones, that went straight to his eyes, making the green sparkle like shining jade in the sunlight. Despite the fact that he lived with the man for years and had more than a few occasions to see it, the sight of that smile never failed to send Cloud’s heart fluttering off-beat. It also flooded him with a sense of relief. Because in the end, Sephiroth’s happiness was the most important thing, was all that Cloud ever wanted. Because it was a sign that they managed to survive the reunion after all, to move forward and try again another day.

But that relief was short lived – and very quickly replaced with something else. Sephiroth’s gentle smile turned into a shit-eating grin, and the man replied, “No thank you, ma’am. I already had some dessert.”

Cloud groaned. “I hate you,” he said, stalking into the kitchen to hide the blush burning over his cheeks. They both knew what he really meant, though.

Sephiroth only smiled a little wider. “I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> What a wild way to end Sefikura Week 2021! I had more than fun writing, and even more enjoyed reading and seeing all the new content out there. I am so happy to have contributed even a little bit. 
> 
> Thanks again for indulging me on this ride!


End file.
